Ava Lavellan's Inquisition
by EvieEvangelion
Summary: Little windows in to Ava's experience in the inquisition, before, after and during. There will be spoilers for the game, and the DLC. Each chapter is it's own little thing, but i will be keeping them in order of the events of the game.
1. Before it All

The soft sound a feathers as bird to flight, a twang of a bow string, weight crashing through the forests canopy, and a smile, Ava slowly wants over to quarry. She grabbed the pheasant by it feet, appraising the animal, it was a good size, but her hunt was not over yet, this was not enough for her Clan.

"Andruil guide me," Glancing at the pheasant in her hand. "May you find your way to Ghilan'nain." With her simple pray she moved on to continue her hunt. She placed the pheasant in a leather bag at her hip, moving through the forest like a ghost. Ava knew this area well, she was one of her clan's hunters, it was her job to know the forest. She always hoped that her clan's love for her family would grow if she brought back enough from her hunts. So far, this hope had proved to be in vain.

Ava had been born in Clan Lavellan, but her mother was a city elf, and her father had always had, more than a passing interest in the shemlen cities. That was how they met, she thought it romantic, but the rest of the clan thought her mother not worthy of their ways, they called her flat-ear, and for all Ava did for the clan, she was still called flat-ear too, as if her mother's blood flowed stronger in her. Ava shook her head, now was not the time to think about her family's problems, she needed to focus.

Pushing her light orange hair back and out of her face she held still and listened, hoping to her some hint of which way she should head to find more pray. Her grey/blue eyes scanning the trees as she held her breath, then a snap of a branch and Ava was on the move. She flew to the trees as natural in the forest as any animal. Once she reached he source of the noise she was disappointed to find no pray, just a small group of shemlen.

"We needed hid!" One of the younger humans spoke up to who seemed to be their leader. "Everything will be sorted with the mages at the concave! The war will end soon!" The young shem seemed to happy, so hopeful, but the grave look on the leader's face told Ava that this was naïve.

"And if the concave fails? If the mages attack and the Templars can't control the situation? What then?" The leader let out a long sigh. "No it is best we are as far from the concave as possible."

Ava couldn't help her curiosity, mages? Templars? She knew these words, knew that the shemlen treated magic different then her people, but she didn't understand what was happening, why did these humans seem so scared, so worried? She followed, not sure what to do, the human's had stopped speaking but Ava wanted to know more. It might have been foolish but she decided to stop them, darting out ahead of the small group.

"Why are you hear Shem?" She asked, arrow in bow and pointed at the one she knew to be the leader. They all stopped, clearly fearful.

"We are simply passing through, the roads prove dangerous now." The leader said, calm as he could be, his brown eyes darting around, trying to see if there were more elves, they're weren't but Ava knew she would be safer if they thought there where. She lifted her head and nodded to the trees, acting as if she was giving orders. She then look back at the shem.

"Why are the roads dangerous?" She asked, all she wanted was more information. The leader sighed.

"The mages have rebelled, there is war across Thedas, as the Templars try to bring them back in line. How lucky you are to not know this, to not have experienced this." Ava listened and nodded.

"Go on, how did this come to be? What is the concave I hear you speak of?" It was then that the shemlen left his arms drop to his side, looked back at his group and then to Ava.

"Will you let us pass if I tell you?" he was a good leader, she could tell he cared for the people he traveled with. So she nodded, she saw no threat in the refugees and simply wanted to know what troubles the humans suffered, for they may affect her clan. She gave a curt nod and the shemlen leader nodded in return and started to explain. He explain about a religious building being destroyed by a mage in Kirkwall, and how this lead to the mages breaking away from the 'circles' seeking freedom, and now war as the Templars tried to return things to the status quo. When he finished his story Ava nodded, and thanked him darting back into the forest in a blink.

Ava was running through the forest now, she was returning to the clan. Her hunt didn't seem important now. Now the Keeper needed to know what she had learned. It did not take her long to return to her clan's camp, she dropped her leather bag, still holding the pheasant she had managed to kill with the rest of the quarry from the other hunters as she ran through the camp to find the Keeper.

"Ava! What is it _Da'len_?" Ava was panting, but the choice of his words still hit her hard, her clan though her control by her whims and many still treated her as a child.

" _Shemlen_ , fleeing _shemlen_!" she said, the keeper gave her a confused look, and she started to explain. She told him how she had found the humans, over heard them and then confronted them, learning about the troubles of the human world. The Keeper grew grim as she spoke.

"You let them see you? You spoke to them? Oh _Da'len_." He shook his head and sighed. He waved another of the hunters over. "We need to pack the camp." He told the other hunter, the hunter was Vulas, of the clan's best hunters. He was a proud man with dirty blonde hair and hard grey eyes, eyes Ava knew too well. She looked away from Vulas, clearly uncomfortable, thought that didn't seem to matter to the Keeper or hunter.

"Yes Keeper Almar." He did not question why, Ava knew he had likely been listening to them. Vulas head off and started barking orders to the clan to pack up.

"Please Keeper, we can't run from this!" she begged, she hadn't had the nerve to be this bold with her clan's leader in a long time, but she felt in her heart that this needed to be dealt with, they couldn't hid in the forest. The Keeper looked at Ava coldly, he was angry at her choice to reveal herself (and therefore the clan) the humans.

"We are not running, we are moving as we always have." He said, his words slow, calculated, he needed to deal with Ava, she was a stubborn one and now that she had heard this story she would not let it go, she was a danger to the clan now, in his eyes. "We will move, and you will head south." He said at last. Ava was taken aback by this. "South?" Keeper Almar smilled.

"Yes, south. Since you worry so about this _Concave_ , you will go and see if for yourself. You will be our eyes in this human war. We cannot trust the words of these shem, one of our own will have to go."

Ava's heart was racing, she was scared to leave her clan, she knew this for what it was, punishment. He hoped the clan would be saver without her around. She nodded, knowing she could not argue with her Keeper. She left him to go and tell her parents and pack.


	2. Leaving the Clan

The keeper instructed Ava that she should leave that night, before the clan started its move north, that she had a long way to travel and would be better off leaving sooner, rather than later. She did not wish to leave, but she knew she had no choice; she also had a feeling that she was to leave before the clan so that the clan might be free of her, and go somewhere new, a place she did not know. She was so scared of this idea, was she losing her family? Her life and all she had ever known? Solemnly she walked to her parents Aravel.

They were already packing up their part of camp, she bit her lip, they were so calm, though seemed a little confused.

"Oh Ava, please come help, the keeper wants us to leave tomorrow, there is so much to do!" Her father called to her. "I wonder why we are to leave so soon…?" He mused. Ava took a deep breath as she pull out a pack from their things.

"We're leaving because of me…." She told them. He gave his daughter a look then and her mother stopped working for a moment. Ava looked like her mother, the same light orange hair, the same long noise, and the same blue eyes, the only difference, the Vallaslin. Though her mother had joined the clan many years ago, she had never been granted the Vallaslin, and she would stay this way, a bare-faced flat ear.

"I…encountered some Shems…." Ava said slowly, and it was this simple statement caused her father to sigh.

 **"** _Dirthara-ma, Da'len_ " her father sounded grave.

"You don't understand!" She said quickly, sounding like the child she kept being called. "They spoke of a war, I needed to find out more! This affects us, it affects all of the people, no matter what the Keeper things, we cannot ignore the human world!" She was fuming, beyond frustrated.

"Ava…" Her mother sighed, she had always been to bold for her own good, always acting before thinking and while she had the best intentions this was always been how things turned out.

"Don't worry, I won't be troubling the clan anymore." She said as she started to pack the bag she just grabbing, taking a bed roll, and some flint. "Keeper Almar has decided I am to go to see about this human concave, 'so the clan might understand this war' "She signed as she continued to pack. Her mother let out a gasp and this is what made her pause.

"What?" but her mother did no answer, she just rushed away.

"Ava… _Mala suledin nadas_ " Her father then pulled her up and into a hug. She could feel his sorrow in the ridged way he held her. She let herself of limp, she didn't want to leave, she had only ever known her clan, she had never entered a human city or town, and while things might not have been perfect in her clan, they were all she knew. So she let herself cling to her father, for what might be the last time she could. It was only for a moment though; Ava started to push away as her mother returned. She had a bundle of cloth in her hands and something small and black sat atop.

"Here" She said, pushing the bundle in to Ava's arms. "If you are to leave the clan, then…this will help you." She told her daughter. "Those are from when I lived among the humans, they will help you blend in, and…" She sniffled "and something to protect you, from any spirits that might wish to harm you." Ava looked down at the bundle, green and grey, the tunic looked very much like the ones she had seen the shemlen wearing. As for the small back object, it was a pendant, a wolf carved out of onyx she laughed a little.

"The dread wolf?" She questioned as she put the pendant on. "Thank you mother. Don't worry I'll be fine." She said, not sure if she believed her own words. She gave her mother a hug and returned to her packing, as did her parents, they didn't know what else to say.

Once Ava finished packing, she changed into the clothes her mother gifted her. They fit well enough, a little tight in the hips, for Ava's where wider then her mother, but it didn't really matter to Ava, it covered her, and proved to be warm and durable. She smiled, ready to leave, her parents turned to her, mother had tears in her eyes and her father gave a nod.

" _Dareth shiral da'len_ "and with those were from her father she left the clan. She was not to make it far though, just outside the camp she felt someone grab her arm, she thought for sure it was her mother, so when she turned and saw Vulas she was more than a little shocked. She tried to yank her arm away but could not.

"No good bye for me, _Seth'lin_?" he said with a laugh, pulling her close to him.

" _Tel'abelas._ " she replied, her words like venom. Again she tried to yank her arm out of his grip. He sighed.

'You should know by now, that will not work." It was then the his lips crashed down on her her's his free hand moving to her ass. After a moment he broke the kiss. "Oh I will miss you _seth'lin_ …." She would not let this happen, not again, this would not be her last memory of her clan for this journey. When he went to kiss her again she bit his lip, her knee hitting him in the groan. He let out a hiss of pain and his grip on her arm loosened, allowing her to take her chance, she ripped her arm away from him and was gone in a moment, disappearing into the forest.

***

Ava hand ran for too long, trying to put as much space between herself and Vulas, that when she finally stopped she found she wasn't sure where she was, her heart pounding as she tried to find where to go next. The sun was low in the sky, _so that is west…_ she thought to herself. She turned to face southward and started to walk again. She traveled into the night, stopping only when fatigue finally caught her.

She set up a simple camp and fire, tonight she would eat some of the dried meat she had pack, but tomorrow she would have to hunt her supper. Starting at the fire she played with the wolf pendant her mother had given her. It was beautiful, carefully craved not a detail was missed, it was small, fitting neatly in her fist.

"Fen'harel…." She said softly to the pendant, before laughing a little to herself. "Will you protect me from spirits, or take me to my death…?"

***

Finally she decided she should try to get some sleep, but it did not come easy, she had never been alone like this, no one to keep watch, no soft snores around her. She shivered in fear, and clung to the wolf pendant seeking any comfort she could find.

Weeks past as Ava traveled south, she had her first experience with human towns, and it was not a kind one. 'Rabbit' and 'Knife-ear' these words followed her whenever she entered the towns. She tried to trade what she had hunted in the forest, she found she needed more arrows among other things in her travels, but she felt she never got a fair price.

Worst was getting directions out of the shems, she didn't know much about this concave and it seemed no one wished to tell her anything. It wasn't til an elvan servant over heard her question that she got an answer.

"You seek Haven." The elf told her. This only confused Ava, seeing the look on her face the elven maid explained. "You wish to attend the concave of mages and templars? You must go to the temple of scared ashes, in the town of Haven." Understanding came across her face then and she nodded. "Ma serannas." She said with a bright smile and a nod.

It took Ava another couple weeks to reach this 'Haven'. When she got there she was shocked, so many people, she had never seen such a gathering, Shemlen and elves, even Durgen'len. She was amazed.

* * *

Translation of the Elvish used in this chapter:  
 **Dirthara-ma** : "May you learn." Used as a curse.  
 **Da'len** : little child, or "little one"

 **Mala suledin nadas** : Now you must endure.

 **Dareth shiral** : Used as a "farewell" it means, "Safe journey".

 **Seth'lin** : thin blood

 **Tel'abelas** : "I'm not [sorry].

 **Ma serannas** : My thanks (Thank you)

 **Durgen'len** : Children of the stone. The original Elvish term for the dwarves.


	3. The Breach

Ava groaned her shoulder hurt, and a dull heat rushed through her veins. She wiggled the fingers on her left hand as the memories of the last days came back to her.

She has woken to the questions of a very harsh woman, she was a prisoner and her hand felt like it was on fire, every once in a while flaring up and causing her great pain. The woman had so many questions; questions Ava didn't have the answer too. Barely understanding what was happening she had been moved from her cell, outside was chaos and as Ava looked up she saw a maelstrom of green light and fog in the sky.

"We call it 'the Breach', a massive rift in to the world of demons that grows larger with each passing hour." The woman, Cassandra she had been called, explained. Ava looked at the breach in awe, _'the beyond is leaking into this world!'_ She thought staring at the green light. The woman's voice quickly bring her back to the problems of the moment.

"It's not the only such rift. Just the largest. All wear caused by the explosion at the concave."

"An explosion can do this?" Ava asked quickly

"This one did. Unless we act, the breach may grow until it swallows the world." And then suddenly the storm flared up and Ava's hand grew bright, as if it was trying to match the strength of the storm. The pain that rushed over her then brought the elf to her knees, screaming. The woman rushed over to her as Ava clung to her marked hand.

"Each time the breach expands, your mark spreads…and it is killing you." Ava looked up at Cassandra, fear clear in her eyes. "It may be the key to stopping this, but there isn't much time." Ava nodded.

"I understand…guess I don't really have a choice."

"Then..?"

"I'll do everything I can, maybe it'll save me." Ava was scared but she didn't see any other path before her. Cassandra moved around the elf girl and helped her to her feet. As they travelled up the mountain Ava learned that everyone, even the Shem's religious leader had been killed in this explosion that left the sky bleeding and her hand marked, and that because of all this, they had decided she was guilty, that she had somehow caused all this.

The two fought their way through demons as they climbed the mountain, Ava had been lucky enough to find a bow, since it seemed her Dalish hunting bow was missing. Something she would need to sort out if she survived all this. As they travelled they came across one of the smaller rifts Cassandra had spoken of.

"Quickly! Before more come through!" And with those words Ava found her wrist grabbed by a Elven mage and her hand pointed towards the rift floating in the air. She felt a tingle in her veins that grew in strength as the rift before her shimmered. She gasped as suddenly the tingling turned to fire and as if by reflex she closed her hand into a fist, closing the rift as she did so.

""What did you do!?" She shot the words at the mage, more fear leaking into her voice then she would have like.

"I did nothing, the credit is yours" The bald elf said with a wave of his hand, in a voice that seemed to calm, to polite given the present situation.

"I guess I can help then." She said, looking up to where the rift hat been.

"Whatever magic opened the Breach in the sky, also placed that mark on you hand. I theorized the mark might be able to close the rifts that have opened in the Breach's wake – and it seems I was correct." It was then at Cassandra had entered the conversation. It seemed that they're hope of closing the hole in the sky all rest on Ava's shoulder, and this made her uncomfortable, shifting under the weight of it all.

Through all of this Ava was thankful for the Durgen'len then, as he interrupted with a joke. She found herself smiling, cling to stupid light joke, begging it to lighten the mood more. She smiled as she saw the crossbow on the stone child's back, it was a lovely thing and the dwarf seemed very proud of it, having even given it a name. Varric, yes this Varric she liked.

"My name is Solas, if there are to be introductions" The elven mage spoke up as Cassandra walked off. "I am pleased to see you still live." Ava eyed him, something about her tone seemed off, she just couldn't place it, though she was on edge, her fear filled mind might be getting the better of her.

"He means 'I kept that mark from killing you while you slept.' "

"You seem to know a lot about all of this."

"Solas is an apostate, well-versed in such matters." Ava could tell just from her tone that Cassandra was not comfortable with this. It took her a minute to remember what the Shemlen meant when they said 'apostate' _a free mage_ , Ava couldn't help but be confused at the shems treatment of magic and mages.

"Technically all mages at apostates now, Cassandra." Solas then looked back at Ava. " My travels have allowed me to learn much about the fade, far beyond the experience of any circle mage. I came to offer whatever help I can give with the Breach. If it is not closed, we are all doomed, regardless of origin." Ava gave a little laugh at this, to her it seemed he was willingly walking into a trap.

"And what will you do when all this is over?" She asked.

"One hopes those in power will remember who helped and who did not. Cassandra, you should know the magic involved here is unlike any I have seen. Your prisoner is no mage, indeed I find it difficult to imagine _any_ mage having such power."

"Understood, we must get to the forward camp quickly."

"Varric, Solas" She said nodding to each of them as they said their names, committing them to memory as they group moved on.

It was not easy to get to the forward camp and once they did, Ava found herself in debate about her fate. She listened to an angry looking man argue with Cassandra and the woman called 'Leliana'. In the end it was decided they would use Ava to try and close the breach before anything more was decided. Finally they looked to her, seeking her advice on how to get to the breach. She was shocked and didn't want this responsibility; the more they asked of her the most chances she had to fail. There was this sinking feeling Ava had that the moment she fail these people she would find herself walking to her death. 

"We should take the mountain path." She told them, her hunter instincts told her that that was the safer route. She didn't know if her instincts proved to be correct or not, for the path was hard and they ended up fighting a great deal, but perhaps the other route was just as bad. By going this way at least they were able to save some scouts.

Reaching the Breach Ava looked high up into the sky, just as she was wondering how they were planning on doing this the elven mage Solas spoke up. It seemed that this was the first rift, and the hope was that in sealing this one, the breach might be sealed. 

As they spoke the rift flared to life and a voice filled the air, it was the voice of The Divine as the fade leaked into this world it shared the memories of the concave with all those that were present. It seemed that the Divine had been attacked, and Ava had just been a hapless passerby, she had interrupted whatever with creature…man's? plans. It was needless to say that everyone was shocked by this discovery. Ava still couldn't remember the events of last days, but this voice, this evidence comforted her a little. 

"This rift is closed at the moment. It will have to be opened and then properly sealed." Ava nodded and dreaded every moment. She lifted her hand to the rift, Solas beside her, the rift flared to life and again her veins burned with fire from the magic in her left hand. Suddenly the rift was bright and something flew out. A huge demon formed in front of them, Ava didn't have time to let the fear hit her, she jumped into action, drawing her bowstring and firing an arrow right into the demons eye. She was moving around the field quickly and lightly firing what seemed to be a never ending stream of arrow at the pride demon. She paid barely any mind to the others on the field, thinking of them only enough to insure her arrows didn't hit them. The fight was hard, and more demons kept forming from the rift

Finally, the large demon fell, it's body turning to flecks of green light, that acted more like ash, and returned to the rift.

"Now seal the rift!" Cassandra called from across the battle field. "Do it!" Ava lifted her hand to the rift and felt the magic flare up, she gritted her teeth against the pain this caused her. The tension in the air was thick and the rift changed and shimmered in the air. Once she thought the magic had joined to the rift she closed her hand into a fist closing the rift as the word went black.

-

Now Ava was lying in a bed, and she didn't know how she had gotten there. She must have passed out. She looked around the little hut and found herself uncomfortable, she really didn't like being inside.


	4. Haven

It had been a couple days since that attempt to close the breach; Ava had yet to leave Haven. They said she wasn't a prisoner anymore, but she still felt like one, only now she was shackled by reasonability. The Shems had started some sort of religious movement, and she was trapped in the mind of all of it. Now, there were even things they wanted her to do for them, for this 'inquistion'.

"I don't even know who this 'Andraste' is…." She muttered to herself as she kicked the snow up into the air on her way up to the chantry. At the last minute she turned, she didn't want to go inside, she walked aimlessly climbing over a few ice covered behind the apothecary, to come out on the other side. Taking the difficult way always gave her something to focus on and helped to distract her when her mind wouldn't stop.

"The chosen of Andraste, a blessed hero sent to save us all." Ava jumped a little at the voice, looking up she saw the elvan mage Solas who had helped to seal the breach. A smile curved up at the edges of her mouth, might as well see what kind of person this elf was.

"Am I riding in on a white stead?" She asked a light laugh in her voice.

"I would have suggested a griffon, but sadly they are all extinct." She turned her head to the side as he spoke. Such little emotion, he seemed so removed. Ava walked slowly over to him, watching him carefully. She didn't know anyone here, and didn't know how to react to them. She was testing everyone she met now.

"This is all so strange…" She said quietly as she led on the small stone wall beside Solas. She looked down at her marked hand, there was almost no light coming off of it now, just a small glowing line in the center of her palm.

"Does it bother you?" Solas asked, nodding towards her hand. She smiled and shrugged.

"Not as much since the breach is stable…just sort of a dull heat." Ava let out a long slow sigh. "Honestly this whole 'Herald of Andraste' thing is more, worrisome…" She admitted looking at the ground as she started to kick at the snow again.

"Perhaps it would be best, to think of all this as a war." Solas started, Ava's head snapped up, she didn't think he would answer. "And every great war has it's heroes. I'm just curious what kind you will be." This made Ava's stomach drop out, she looked up at the sky. She did not want to face this, she did not want to be a heroes, or a chosen one, or a saint to a god she didn't believe in. Without another work she turned and left Solas standing by himself.

***  
The wind was cold and there was the lightest tingle of frost in the air. Ava stared up at the stars, her eyes traced the shapes of different constellations as she tried to calm her mind. It had been a long day, hell it had been a long week. Sitting on the roof of her quarters she found some peace, finally feeling removed from all the chaos.

"Hey Crafty!? What are you doing up there!?" She heard a rough voice call up to her. She peaked, her head over edge and smiled.

"I might be sleeping…" She said as she quickly jumped down to the dwarf. He was easily her favorite person in Haven. He seemed to understand how difficult all this was for her, but was quick to try and lighten her mood. "Don't really like it in there." She said nodding back to the house they had let her use as her quarters.

"You have some problem with warm feather beds?" He said with a laugh. She sighed deeply.

"The bed is fine…it's the walls…" She said shyly, understanding came over his face then.

"Keep forgetting you're Dalish, Crafty." She nodded a little, a light smile on her face. She lighted the nickname he had come up with for her. Didn't know where he got it, but she knew it fit her. "Haven't been away from your clan too much have you?" He asked as they started to walk up to his small camp fire.

"First time…" She laughed a little. "I don't know if that's insanely good or bad luck…." She muttered, Varric laughed as he sat down. 

"I know which I would peg it as." He told her, she gave him a little shove, but a part of her thought he was right.

***

Ava was beyond frustrated staying in Haven, so after speaking to Cassandra and Leliana she decided it was best to head to the Hinterlands and find this 'Mother Giselle'. The journey wasn't a long one, but Ava found the hinterlands a much better place then Haven. The rolling fields and mountains, the warm air and smell of elfroot, it all made the young elf feel at home.

There was no time to enjoy it though, there was too much to be done for the inquisition, and the refugees from this Mage, Templar war. This was one part of the human world that Ava wanted to learn more about though. Magic had never been treated as a treat in her clan, they all knew it could be dangerous of course, but it was a gift not a burden. The humans treated magic like a sin, as if one was less of a person simply for having. She didn't understand it, but she wished to.

After speaking with Mother Giselle, the group set about trying to help the refugees. It seemed that they were short on food, and this was a problem that Ava knew she could solve. She smiled and told the man.

"That, that I can help you with."

"Well there are some Ram's to the east, but the bandits in the area have made hunting impossible." Ava laughed, clearly these people didn't know how to hunt if a few bandits where stopping them.

As the traveled to the east Ava's steps were lighter, she liked having a problem that she knew how to solve, that she could solve. They're where indeed bandits in the area, but having Varric, Cassandra, and Solas meant that they weren't a problem. Once they were cleared out Ava's body language changed. She motioned for the others to stay where they were. She didn't trust them to be quiet enough, Cassandra's armor was loud and clanged every time she stepped, and Varric never shut up. 

She stalked low through the tall grass watching for her prey. The area was full of Rams; this was going to be too easy. She lined up her shot and waited a moment; her arrow flew through the air, a quiet whistle and hit the ram in the back of the head, just below the skull, killing it instantly. She darted out waving to the others to come over as well. Placing a hand on the creature's lifeless head she said a soft.

"Ma serannas, Andruil." As the other's arrived at her side., she took out a hunting dagger and started to butcher the creature, draining it's blood and removing the organs, action that she had clearly done a thousand times.

"You thank the gods for your kill?" Solas asked her as she worked.

"Ir abelas, should I not thank the creators?"she asked, a bit of acid in her voice. "They might be sealed, the might not hear me…but." She sighed. "It is how I learned to hunt; shall we just leave it at that?" Now that she had been questioned about it, she didn't know why she did it. Ava had always found the stories of Andruil unsettling, and she had never been sure about her feeling towards that creators, she had never been one of strong faith.

***

Back at Haven Ava found herself feeling trapped again. She missed the hinterlands, no, she missed her clan, she felt out of place here, so many shems. She found herself walking over to where Solas stayed in town. She wanted to asked him about what he had said when they were hunting in the hinterlands.

"Hello." He said nodding to her as she climbed the stairs.

"I wanted to ask you something…" She said slowly, he nodded, giving her permission to ask. "I wanted to know what your opinion of Elvan culture was?"

"I thought you would be more interested in sharing your opinion of Elves culture, you are Dalish after all." Ava's brows knit together in frustration.

"You really have a problem with the Dalish don't you? Are you allergic to Halla or something?" She asked, trying to keep the mood light, but wanting to get answers.

"They are children, acting out stories misheard and repeated wrong a thousand times." Ava was taken back by his answer

"Oh but you know the truth?" She challenged.

"While they pass on stories, mangling details, I walk the fade. I have seen things they have not. He seemed to know a great deal of what he was talking about. She looked to the ground quiet for a moment, not knowing what to say.

"Ir abelas, Hahren."She said softly, "If the Dalish have done you a disservice, I would make that right. What course would you set for them, that is better then what they know now?"

"You are right, of course. The fault is mine, for expecting what the Dalish could never truly accomplish. Ir abelas Da'len, if I can offer any understanding, you have but to ask." Ava's eye twitched at the use of 'Da'lan'.

"Please don't call me that…" She said. "I have a name…" she told him, she had been called a child in her clan, she would not be called a child here as well.

"A name I have yet to learn." Solas pointed out, causing Ava to laugh. That was right, she had never introduced herself, and now everyone seemed to want to call her herald, they didn't seem to care about her name. "Ava." She said with a soft smile. Solas nodded.

"Well do you have any other questions, Ava?"

Ava spent the afternoon with Solas, talking about the elves, and the fade, and spirits and Ava became wrapped up in all of it. She hadn't had a chance to learn these things with her clan, she was not the first, she was not even a magic. All these things where so foreign to her, but perhaps in understanding them maybe she could understand the mark on her hand better.

"So that's why you're here?" Ava said with a laugh. "Hoping to have better dreams by joining the inquisition?" She smiled, based on what he had told her it made sense, the idea just made her smile. "Well I wish you luck!"

"Thank you, in truth I have enjoyed experiencing more of life to find more of the fade." This made Ava smile, while this fade walking he did seemed wonderful she did not think it good to live only in your dreams.

"How so?" She asked, wishing to keep such an interesting conversation going.

"You train to flick a dagger or fire an arrow at its target. The grace with which you move is a pleasing side benefit. You have chosen a path whose steps you do not dislike because it leads to a destination you enjoy. As have I." Ava lifted an eyebrow, a light pink dusting her cheeks.

"So you're suggesting I'm graceful." She said, testing him. Surely he had not meant it that way. He was so cold and removed from everything.

"No, I'm declaring it. It is not a subject for debate." This made Ava blush and she found she had to look away. 

"Well…" She said her voice catching in her throat in an uncomfortable way. She did not have much experience with people, and even if he was only saying these things to get a reaction out of her, she hadn't been spoken to like this before. She started to walk away, not sure of what else to say.

"Da'l…. Ava!?" He called to her as she left. She turned a looked, not sure why he would be calling to her. "I have a question for you. If you don't mind, before you leave." Her face still felt warm but she nodded.

"Your Vallaslin… it is Mythal." Ava nodded, taking a step back up towards him.

"Seems a strange choice?" She finished for him. She looked up at the sky, the sun was setting. "I'm a hunter, surely I would have pick Arduil."

"You did thank her when you were hunting the other day."

"Honestly…I think that is more habit then anything. I was taught that that is what you say when you kill an animal at the end of a hunt." She was musing; she didn't want to tell him this. "Arduil…she scared me." She admitted. "her legends where this things fill with blood and death. It seemed as if she hunted…for the joy of it…" She tried to explain. "You hunt because you have to eat, you kill because if you don't you will die. You do not do these things for the sport of it." She was twisting her hands around each other as she spoke. She didn't want to say why she had picked Mythal, why she had not chosen Arduil was easy, it wasn't selfish like her choice of Mythal.

"So, Arduil didn't fit." Solas said, "But why Mythal, there are many others." Ava bit her lip, he really wanted to know.

"It's selfish…it's…" She shook her head. "My mother was a city elf…. I was always sort of on the edge of the clan, only just barely a part of it, a seth'lin." As she said the word she could have sworn she saw something flash in Solas's eyes, something like rage, but it was gone so fast she couldn't be sure if she had truly seen anything. "Mythal was the great protector, the all-mother…." She took a deep breath. "I was hoping…even though she was sealed with the creators, still I had hoped…that by choosing Mythal's vallaslin, that I might find some of the protection." She cast her eyes down to the ground. "A child-ish choice…" She said. She couldn't take it anymore; she gave him her answer so she felt it was time to leave.

She made her way back to her quarters, past Varric's little camp.

"Hey crafty! Want a drink?" He called after her. She didn't respond she was too embrassed by the story she had just told. 


	5. Solas

Chapter 5 (Solas)

Everything had gone wrong, the magister was to die in the explosion, how had he managed to survive! Now this Shemlen Elf girl had his mark and the sky was falling apart. With Corypheus alive the veil coming down, in this way, I would not be good. Solas looked down at the dying elf girl that bore his mark. Mythal's vallaslin, why did the Dalish think these the markings where such an honour, it brought him no end of grief, grief and a hint of rage. Behind the slave markings she seemed fine, sharp features, a long noes, a strong jaw, and orange hair, easily the feature the stood out the most on the girl.

He had spent the last two days trying to stabilize the girl's condition, it had not been easy, it should have been easy. It was his mark, his foci, he shouldn't have needed the magister, and this girl shouldn't have ended up like this. All of this shouldn't be, the veil should have been gone by now, and it would have, if the Uthenera hadn't weakened him so. Solas shook his head, there was no changing it now, and he needed this girl to survive, if she did, she could use the mark to close the breach and he could start working on a new plan.

More days past and Solas was losing hope, the girl would not be able to survive this, he should have known, it was too much magic, too much power. She wasn't connected to the fade, nor was she immortal; the magic from his orb would kill her. He needed to leave; soon the seeker would turn on him, thinking he had something to do with all this. She wasn't wrong, but still it would be problematic. In between trying to find another way to close the rifts, they're had to be another way.

"We have to help them!" Cassandra called out, looking over his shoulder he saw the seeker joining the fight to close the rift. There was someone else with her, an archer, it was the girl. She had woken up! Why hadn't he been told?

As the demons where dispatched Solas grabbed the elf's hand.

"Quickly! Before more come through!" Holding her hand to the rift it started to react, he heard her make a small noise, maybe of pain? She was trying to pull away from him, he wouldn't let her. He fist clenched in pain and as it closed so did the rift, and it was all possible again. He let her hand go and stared at her for a moment, it was all possible again.

***

The Inquisition, well things had taken a drastic turn, but this would be his best bet, after all their goals aligned. Now he needed to learn what type of person this 'Herald of Andraste' was, he needed to make sure that his that she could be… directed correctly.

"The chosen of Andraste, a blessed hero sent to save us all." The girl jumped as he spoke, but as she looked at him there was a hint of a smile on her lips. She fired back at him with a joke. What she testing him? It would make sense, she was new to all this, and had been thrown in to a position of power, power over people she didn't know. As they spoke and she watch him he felt a little hunted, or rather like she was trying to hunt him. It didn't take her long though to change her behaviour, to relax just a little. Was she naïve? It seemed too soon for her to be letting her guard down around him, perhaps it was an act? He watched as she looked down at her hand.

"This is all so strange…" She mused, she seem a little lost. She had been a prisoner only a few days ago, the whip lash of all that had happened to her must have been getting to her.

"Does it bother you?" he asked, he couldn't help but wonder how the mark was reacting to her. Mortal with no connection to the fade, with this ancient power, it was a unique situation to say the least.

"Not as much since the breach is stable…just sort of a dull heat" Solas nodded, it made sense, the breach was stable so the mark was stable, no longer causing her pain. The 'heat' she described was interesting, it didn't make sense to him, perhaps it was just how the energy felt to someone with no understanding of magic. She wasn't even a mage. "Honestly this whole 'Herald of Andraste' thing is more, worrisome…" She added. That was good, he brought him some peace of mind to know that she did not enjoy taking on the title of someone divine. He needed to present this to her in a why where she would use the title, but not let it define her. Perhaps his past would be of some help. 

"Perhaps it would be best, to think of all this as a war." Her head snapped up to look at him, like she was desperate for a solution to this stress, seeing her look at him with that kind of hope in her eyes lined in vallaslin made Solas incredible uncomfortable and he didn't want her looking at him that way. "And every great war has it's heroes. I'm just curious what kind you will be." She looked away from him; it seemed this was not what she wanted to hear, without another word she left, finished with this conversation.

***

As the days past Solas found that 'the herald' was more Dalish then she had seemed at first, thanking absent 'gods' for what was her own skill and hard work. Taking offence when this was pointed out, she had admitted that perhaps it was more ritual, or habit, but still she not been please to have to explain herself.

In the hinterlands she seemed to come to life, much less controlled then she had seemed in Haven. She was clearly a savage Dalish hunter, completely wild. This would be a problem.

Once they returned to Haven he found that she started seeking him out, not just him. She had started asking all the members of the inquisition question. They were inescapable; it seemed she had not seen much of the world. It was strange that her clan would send her to the concave, given how little she understood about making it by in the human's world.

"Are all Dalish like my clan?" She asked him, during one of the quiz like conversations he had had with her.

"No, you clan was unique, having enough interest in the human world to send you to spy on the concave." Suddenly she started laughing, it was such a low outburst, and it was uncharacteristic of her or at least of what he had seen of her. When she finally stopped she looked at him, her eyes watering a little.

"You think they sent me to spy on." She laughed a bit more. "Oh no, this was punishment!" Her voice was cheerful, in a way that rang with insincerity. "Since I was so _interested_ in the shems, and they're war, and they concave. Since my interest had put my clan in danger, my keeper thought I should see what it was all about." She started laughing again. "Seems my punishment ended up bigger than anyone would have ever dreamed."

Hearing this Solas couldn't help but feel a twang of sorrow for her, she was curious, that he knew for sure. He could only imagine that she had been trying to help her clan, and she was punished for it. Of all the actions he had seen of her, he knew she was quick to help, quick to try and prove herself. She had gone out of her way in the hinterland's to a ring a woman had given her husband. She had made sure the refugees of the mage, Templar war had had food and supplies. He couldn't see any other reality where she would put her clan in damage it had to be that she had been trying to help.

"Perhaps, you can take this opportunity." He told her. She smiled at him, more sincerity in it now.

"Yes, an opportunity to fuck the world up." She looked away from him. "More than it already is at least…" She shook her head and started asking him more questions, about the Dalish. His opinion of the Dalish seemed to have bothered her, but what shocked him was when she apologized for the Dalish. After all he had told her did she understand? He would not think she was capable of that, but she apologized, in elvan no least, and even honoured his knowledge on the topic as she did so.

"You are right, of course. The fault is mine, for expecting what the Dalish could never truly accomplish. _Ir abelas Da'len,_ if I can offer any understanding, you have but to ask." And again she seemed to react as if he said something to upset her.

"Please don't call me that…I have a name." Solas let out a little breath of air that was almost a laugh. _Da'len,_ she didn't want to be called a child, but she was, to him they all where.

"A name I have yet to learn." He pointed out, with a touch of kindness in his voice. She laughed again, as if this was too crazy. So many people must have just been calling her herald, so few bothering to ask her, her name. A title that replaces one's name…. 

"Ava." She replied when she finally spotted laughing. 

"Well do you have any more questions, Ava?" He said, making a point to use her name. To lose one's name to a title, and to the duty of the title, it was not an easy burden to bear. She smiled and started to ask what had to be ever question she could think of. What was the history of the elves, questions about magic and the fade she seemed to want to know it all. She had no magic of her own, she explain that because she wasn't a mage she hadn't gotten a chance to learn any of this from her keeper. In her clan only the clan's first, and any other mages could learn these things. What you learned was how to help the clan. She helped by hunting.

She tried to test him again, taking the world he said and turning them.

"Are you suggesting I'm graceful?" She asked him, her voice trying to be light. He smiled, she was graceful, a skilled hunter, the way she disappeared into the woods, he was shocked that she wasn't using magic to do it.

"No, I'm declaring it. It is not a subject for debate." This made Ava blush, she was young, even by this world's standards, and it seemed she didn't know how to react to being told these things. It was endearing, like a lost little animal. She muttered a few worlds before she started to walk away. She seemed to have a habit of just leaving when she didn't know how to deal with something. He watched as she started to climb down the path and suddenly he found he had a question.

" _Da'l_ …Ava!" He called, remembering not to call her a child, even though she was action like a schoolgirl at the moment. "I have a question for you. If you don't mind, before you leave." She nodded, her face pink, but she waited for him to ask his question. "You Vallaslin…it's Mythal's." She cut him off then.

"Seems a strange choice." She said, and it was, of the Dalish he had seen one could usually predict the vallaslin they would pick, the hunters, Andruil, sometimes Falon'din, keepers took Dirthamen, or Mythal, and crafters artisans would offend pick June, of course they're choices would dictated by the errored history, but still they were predictable.

Ava took a moment to explain that she did not find Andruil comforting, she seemed to fear the 'goddess', this made Solas want to smile, she was right to fear Andruil and her love of death. It took some probing before she would explain why Mythal. When she did Solas had to agree, it was childish, but the Dalish's use of the vallaslin on the whole was childish, and a desire to feel protected, didn't everyone want that? She didn't wait for a reply this time, she left, clearly embarrassed by the end of their conversation.


	6. Dreams

Author's note

Finally have a plan for this story, and honestly this is all just background information for the real story. In my mind they spend about 4 to 6 months in Haven, to give some timeline for these evens.

I am going to be starting the sequel/full story i want to tell soon. "Born of Desire" hoping to write up a fair bit of it so i can post more then one chapter at a time!

Also it might be better to follow me on Ao3, as i normally update they're first (and totally haven't forgotten to update here for like weeks...)here's a link /works/4876267

* * *

Weeks past and Ava was slowly learning how to live in Haven, she had started sleeping inside, finally, though there were still times when she felt like the walls were closing in on her. She had taken time to learn more of the chantry, and even tried to read a little of the shem's history. It was hard though, she knew how to read, but these books where too much for her.

She sat in the house she had been staying in staring at a single page one of the many tomes she had been trying to understand, frustration finally won out and she whipped the book at the door. As it hit with a loud bang, a voice came from the other side.

"Ohh! Hey Crafty! You ok in there?" She lifted her head to look at the door.

"Come in Varric." She told him, the door opened and the dwarf entered, picking up the book as she walked in. He looked it over and flipped through the first few pages.

"I know people get pretty emotional about the chantry, but you Crafty? Won't have pictured it." He said as he pulled a stool over to her reading table. She shot him a glare, and he raised an eyebrow. "Come on, what's up with the dusty tome? Would think you would rather be out hunting or something…outdoors-y" This made Ava smile, she would rather be out hunting, or tracking.

"Well…not matter what I say, or how many times I tell them not to, I keep getting called 'The Herald of Andraste'…and honestly, I don't know anything about this woman." She admitted to him. He raised an eyebrow, she knew that didn't explain why she threw the book. She didn't want to say why. She looked away from him, but she still felt his eyes on her. "I….i couldn't understand the words."

"Oh…" he said slowly, before he could say anything more Ava interrupted him.

"I can read!" She said quickly. "I mean….it's just, these books…" She muttered. "They're so much more here then I'm use to." Varric nodded as she spoke, she was so worried about being judged. In her clan other than the keeper, one didn't really need to read, you would only need to know the basics, so that one knew where they were going as they were traveling. Here though, it seemed reading was important, and highly valued, even an elvan apostate knew how to read. All of this maybe Ava feel a little worthless.

Varric didn't say anything for a while, he placed the book down on the small desk and opened it. "Where were you?" He asked. She looked at him a little shocked, she flipped to the second page and pointed to her last place.

"Here…" She muttered. It was then that Varric started to read. He nodded quickly read through the passages.

"Ok, well this says 'In those days, even after the devastation of the first blight, the Imperium stretched across the known world.' " He then started to lead Ava through the parts she was having trouble with, and slowly the words started to make more sense.

The inquisition had grown so much in the last months, so many had joined, the first enchanter of the Orlesian court, Vivienne, a … thief? Named Sera, Leliana had asked Ava to look into a warden in the hinterland, name Blackwall who joined and a group of mercenaries 'The Bull's Chargers'. Ava was getting over whelmed with the number of people in Haven, now outside was just a 'small' as inside.

She had tried talking to the new members of the inquisition, and found right away that she did not get along well with Sera or Vivienne, and she stopped talking to him before she said something she shouldn't. It was her job to help the inquisition grow, as the 'Herald of Andraste' bickering with its members about Mages and Elves would not help in that regard. The Iron Bull, was easier to get along with, but much harder to trust, she might not like Vivienne or Sera but it was clear why they have joined up, and what their goals where. Bull was not as clear in his motives, he had admitted to being a spy for the Qun when they first met, a strange action that Ava couldn't wrap her mind around.

There was work to be done though, and Ava didn't have time to worry about Bull's motives, he was a good fighter and at the moment that's what she needed, but more than fighters she needed power. The breach was still a threat; Ava hoped that if she closed the breach she wouldn't have to worry about what ever had happened to the divine. She wanted this all dealt with and she wanted to return to her clan. She could see now that the Dalish where not perfect, but her clan was familiar and with all that had happened she wanted the comfort.

She made the choice to, try and recruit the mage in Redcliff; she was looking to clear her name in closing the breach. To clear herself of a crime she knew she couldn't have committed, it seemed only fair that she offer the mages that same chance at redemption. Ava hoped that maybe this one action could help people to change how they thought of mages. A part of her knew it wasn't that easy, but she also knew that this was no small thing, and it would have to have some kind of an effect, right?

Recruiting the mages was no small task though, and while in the end it meant another member to join the inquisition, Dorian, a Tevinter mage and Ava found shockingly easy to get along with, and the power of the mage rebellion. Now, now they could close the breach. Ava felt a little hope for the first time since the concave. Still the events of Redcliff and what it took to save the mages from themselves left scars. Ava found she couldn't sleep, falling asleep had become hard, and when she did sleep she had nightmare, seeing Solas, Cassandra, and Leliana dying over and over. She couldn't help them, she couldn't save them. She woke each night in a cold sweat.

"I cannot let that future come to pass." Seeing the future that could be had helped Ava come to terms with staying with the inquisition, still she did not need to see that future every night.

"Solas?" She called as she walked up the snow covered steps to meet with the dreamwalker. "I had a question." This made the mage laugh a little, Ava liked the sound, she smiled to herself.

"Do you always?" He responded a faint smile playing across his lips. Ava laughed a little herself, she did ask a lot of question.

"I've never had someone willing to answer them all Hahren." She told him. By now he understood why she wanted to know so much about the fade, about magic, about the elves and he seemed to approve of her desire to learn, and her willingness to change her mind, when the facts where given to her. "I wanted to ask you about dream…." She said slowly, thoughtfully. "Mages can control their dreams right?"

"Well, yes, all mages have some measure of control over their dreams, though from some it is much easier." He looked at her oddly, not sure where she was going with this.

"Well….do you think, it would be possible, for a non-mage to control their dreams. Or at least the subject of their dreams?" She spoke very quietly, she had a feeling she knew the answer, and she was a little embarrassed to be asking the question at all. Solas was quiet for a long time after she asked her question, she watched him carefully, perhaps to carefully. She saw how his brow flexed just a little as his mind raced through possibilities.

"I am unsure…" He finally spoke up, breaking the silent air that hung between them. "Our dreams come from the fade, and it's a mage's connection to the fade that allows them to control their' dream or preform magic. For someone whose connection is weaker, it might not be possible. I doubt it has ever been tried." Ava let out a sigh, she had been holding her breath while he spoke, without meaning too.

"I thought so…I mean…of course a non-mage wouldn't be able to control the fade, that's what makes them, well not a mage." She seemed so defeated as she turned to leave.

"Why do you ask?" He asked her as she started to head off.

"Oh…just some dreams I want to change…" She muttered, not wanting to admit that she was so child-ish as to want to hide from her nightmares.

That night Solas found his curiosity had gotten the better of him. He had grown somewhat fond of Ava, she seemed thoughtful, and she would admit her faults. So when she has asked him about changing dream, when he knew she understood the fade enough to know it was only possible for mages. It worried him a little. It was a strange question, out of place. She wanted to change her dreams? Why?

Soon Solas found the small part of the fade shaped by Ava's sleeping mind. Redcliff castle, only not. Red lyrium everywhere, and demons too, he walked through her dream, an unseen ghost. As he witnessed the events start to unfold he understood. This was the future she had seen, been sent to when they went to recruit the mages. It was far worst then she had made it seem.

He saw a shadow version of himself, corrupted by the red lyrium. He watched as they fought to reach Alexius. Once in the great hall, as Dorian worked the magic to send them back, he watch Cassandra die in the dream world, and saw Ava move to help. When his corrupted self, fall in battle he was shocked. Looking to Ava he saw as she tried to help, but was told she couldn't move. So this was her nightmare, watching them die for her, watching him die. Solas was lost in the feeling this brought forth, pity, sorrow, empathy and then something else. She feared his death…

This is not right, she suffers this because of my mistake. He could fix this, maybe not fix it all but he could fix this dream. He shifted the fade around him, reshaping her dream, taking her from Redcliff and that horrible future to a forest, quiet and calm. It was night time here, with little fireflies all about, the air was fresh and clean and the woods alive with the soft buzz of bugs at night. Yes this should calm her, this should feel like home. He thought to himself, she deserved a goodnight's sleep before they tried to close the breach.


End file.
